


Lavender

by fulmiinata



Series: Waiting for You [1]
Category: Free!
Genre: Dragons, M/M, Prince!Makoto, Thief!Haru, hell yeah, i love this so much no one even knows, thief!AU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-05-31
Updated: 2014-05-31
Packaged: 2018-01-27 20:29:23
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 904
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1721585
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fulmiinata/pseuds/fulmiinata
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The thief has the bluest eyes Makoto has ever had the privilege to witness.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Lavender

Sighing, Makoto rests his chin in his hand and looks out the carriage window.

The royal family is riding into town today, on account of a large political meeting taking place in town hall. Personally, Makoto sees no reason as to why he has to attend alongside his parents when he would much rather be back at the castle watching his siblings. It's childish, almost, wanting to play around and stay home instead of learning how to run a kingdom sometime in the future. 

The carriage rocks from side to side on the uneven road, making Makoto's teeth clatter with the motion. At least an hour separate the castle and the town by carriage ride and he'd been hoping to catch some form of sleep in between. That, however, does not seem to be the case. He can't even talk to anyone, because his parents are taking a different cart.

Nonetheless, his eyes begin to drift closed. It's going to be at least an hour ride. 

When the carriage rocks again, violently, Makoto's head bangs against the side, effectively waking up. He groans a little at the pain, rubbing his head. He tries to get comfortable in his eat once more, but notices something is a little off.

They've stopped moving.

The prince hears thumping from the front, the horses neighing in distress then suddenly going silent. Sounds of struggling, maybe a fight, then the thud of someone falling to the dirt. Makoto's heart pounds wildly with fear—what's going on? As royalty, Makoto is no stranger to the concept of kidnapping or looting, but he had yet to actually experience it firsthand.

Inhaling slowly through his nose as to control his breathing, Makoto parts the little red curtain over the window to see outside, but noises from on top of the carriage stop him before he gets the chance.

"Hurry up already! You know I hate it when you take your time," someone says outside, their voice gruff and irate. There's a mumbled reply that Makoto can't make out.

Shuffling, then the cart rocks once more with uneven weight distribution. Makoto's toes curl inside his shoes, hands gripping his pants so tight the knuckles turn white. His heart is beating a tattoo on his ribs while his stomach does elaborate flips. As a last resort he squeezes his eyes shut, somehow gathering the false hope that if he can't see what's happening then it isn't actually happening.

More thumping around. The lock on the door clicks open.

With a sharp inhale, Makoto does his best to somehow disappear into the seats should something be outside the door. His jaw is clenched so tightly it makes his ears ring. A creaking lets him know that he is no longer the only one inside the cart.

What if he dies? What if his parents die? What if they're _already dead?_ The twins, they couldn't possibly be able to lead a kingdom—

"What's your name?" someone asks. They speak quietly, politely almost, in a smooth baritone that washes over Makoto and suddenly makes him relax.

The prince pries open his eyes, lips set in a thin line and still gripping his pants, to get a look at the person addressing him.

Tall, almost his height maybe, dressed in a dark green vest and gray scarf concealing half his face, with black hair falling into the bluest eyes he has ever had the privilege to witness. Framed with impossibly long eyelashes, they aren't just one shade of blue; there is blue like the sky on clear mornings when dew still rests on the grass, and blue like the deepest parts of the oceans where its secrets lay.

"What's your name?" repeats the bandit, voice slightly muffled with the scarf. Makoto's hands itch to snatch it away, and reveal what he is certain is a beautiful nose, beautiful lips.

"Prince Makoto Tachibana," he answers, gulping. Stuttering he adds, "O-of Iwatobi."

The thief's eyebrows rise, but he doesn't say anything in return. Much to Makoto's amazement a small dragon emerges from the bag at his hip, glittering silver, and crawls to rest on his shoulder. It squeaks into the man's ear before turning its small head to regard the prince. Rich orange eyes look at him with an almost human expression.

Makoto has never been allowed a dragon. They were deemed too dangerous, something only rebels and scandalous teenagers had. Certainly a proper prince such as himself would have no use for one. He wants so badly to touch it, but given his current situation it seems like a bad idea.

"If—if you're going to steal anything, take this," Makoto fishes around in his pockets, pulling out the brooch used to secure his cloak. It contains a large ruby surrounded with diamonds, obviously something with high value. To his surprise, the alleged thief makes no move to accept it, instead reaching into the bag that housed the dragon and pulling out a lavender rose.

Delicate in his hands, he presents it to the prince. Makoto takes it, speechless. Despite being out away in the bag it shows no signs of decay, the petals full and intact. The stem is straight and free of thorns. He looks down at it with endearing eyes before glancing upwards to thank the thief properly.

"This is absolutely—" he begins, but his heart drops when he sees that no one is there.

"Beautiful."

**Author's Note:**

> [tumblr.](http://www.mint-darling.tumblr.com)


End file.
